Mar 29, 2024  
College Catalog 2019-2020 
    
College Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

THMUS H411 — Honors Theory IV: Counterpoint and Analytical Methods

4 credits
Spring
Loretta Terrigno

Prerequisite: THMUS H311 . Honors Theory IV will continue the study of species counterpoint, beginning with single species counterpoint in three parts, followed by the study of combined species. Beyond the stylistic constraints of emulating 16th-century counterpoint, writing three-part species counterpoint provides secure training in handling the interplay of consonance and dissonance. In doing so, it has important ramifications in understanding complex voice-leading configurations, and thus provides a secure basis in understanding the language of tonal music in general. This course will also offer an introduction to Schenkerian Analysis. Through the study of the voice-leading and tonal organization of selected compositions, the course will aim to develop an understanding of large-scale musical coherence employing the analytic system of graphic notation developed by Heinrich Schenker. Through the analytic techniques learned in this course, students will gain a deeper understanding of how the principles of harmony and counterpoint operate in tandem, and determine the criteria for structural coherence in music of the common-practice period. Beginning with short extracts and themes, complete works will be analyzed by the end of the semester.